Shake It Off (Joza)

[Marzena Vaas]

Marzena was currently enjoying a break from the stage, but she was starting to think that perhaps she had been enjoying it a bit too much. Her strict meal plan had given way to a few nights of indulgence at her favorite restaurant; she had even allowed herself to eat carbs. She attended many parties, stayed up late, and would not wake until midafternoon. Most of her days had been spent traveling, shopping and relaxing. While it was certainly nice to have such a leisurely schedule, she was very worried about falling down the path to laziness. As one that took immense pride in her appearance, she hadn’t slacked at all when it came to her makeup; she had made time to go out for a few jogs, and for some other physical activities... but it was far from the rigorous routines that she normally kept up. The celebrity felt that she needed something to kick her back on track.

When she had received word that Joza Perl had recently opened her own dance studio, Marzena had booked a block of time immediately. She was most interested in the Shimmy Fitness class, as a danced-based cardio workout would surely help ease her back into her active life. While Marzena was certainly no stranger to dancing onstage, she had never attempted any type of dance form like Shaabi. She had seen one of Joza’s performances and had been very impressed by the Zeltron dancer’s skill, and the graceful, seductive movements of her work had been intriguing to say the least. She had also enrolled in Dance Instruction I, it would be fun to learn something new, and perhaps she could even incorporate some of the moves into her own stage routine. It would mean that she would have to travel from Bespin all the way to Lianna, but she felt that it would be well worth it.

When Marzena arrived at Heartbeat House she walked through the door with a pleasant smile, leaving her armed guards just outside. While it was certainly not the most fancy dance studio she had ever been to, she felt that it was very charming. She had come dressed in comfortable and stylish dance-wear that revealed her slender but toned physique. Marzena had come prepared with all of the essentials, a bottle of water, a small towel, and a pair of canvas dance slippers. Even though she had felt like a bit of a downer the last few days, she was starting to feel better now that she was here...

After all, sometimes you just have to get down with your bad self and shake it off!

[member="Joza Perl"]

 

[Joza Perl]

When Heartbeat House had opened, Joza was overjoyed at having students to teach. Forget meditation, dancing was the one true respite in her complicated life—and the only surefire way for her to relax. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much for her to relax over when Marzena karking Choi booked private lessons for Shimmy Fitness at her studio. Marzena. Choi. In HER studio. Was this some sort of dream? Surely a galactic celebrity of her fame could just as easily receive instruction from a far more prestigious establishment? But Joza didn’t dwell on it too long, and spent the entire morning before Marzena’ arrival making sure that the studio was absolutely spotless.

The Zeltron had been stretching on the floor when her student—wow, wasn’t it weird to think of it that way!—walked through the door. “Oh!” Hopping to her feet, Joza couldn’t help the large grin that stretched across her face. “Miss Choi! I’m so glad to see you again. Welcome to Heartbeat House!” Holding an arm out, she gestured to the small studio space. It could comfortably fit about 6 to 8 dancers, but she hoped to eventually expand, maybe even add another location…alright, she was getting ahead of herself. There was a new dancer to instruct!

“It isn’t much, but it’s got solid flooring.” Briefly, she glanced over Marzena’s shoulder to where she had caught a glimpse of her guards. She was glad they’d stayed outside, but hoped that they wouldn’t leave an intimidating presence around her studio. Brushing that thought off, her gaze moved quickly back onto Marzena. Oh heavens, was she wearing LuLuLime? Of course she was, and Joza had easily recognized the label, owning several knockoff pairs of leggings. One couldn’t exactly buy high-end clothing on a Jedi’s budget unless it was armor of some kind. But Marzena just looked effortlessly classy and gorgeous, as always. Like something straight out of a magazine, which wasn’t really far from the truth.

“I hope you’re ready to sweat!” Grinning cheerfully, Joza produced a datapad connected to a speaker and scrolled through her list of songs. Upon selecting a playlist, a steady tempoed beat of drums and violin began to play. “We can begin stretches whenever you’re ready.” Putting the datapad down, she raise one elbow sharply into the air with her hand pressing against her back. Her other hand came up and over her head to grasp at her elbow, lightly tugging to stretch the muscles in her arm.

[member="Marzena Choi"]

 

[Marzena Vaas]

Marzena stood in the entrance until she was greeted warmly by Joza Perl, and she returned the Zeltron’s grin with one of her own. “It’s lovely to see you again, and please – call me Marzena.” Her eyes followed Joza’s sweeping gesture, and her dark gaze took in the open space of the studio. There was a mirrored wall – something she liked very much, it was always nice to admire herself, but it also very useful for viewing the instructor from all angles. She approved of the décor, it was welcoming but not gaudy or garish, and the floors were absolutely sparkling.

Soft steps brought her further inside the studio.“Well, I think your studio is fabulous.” She said with a swift nod. Marzena took a moment to set her bag down next to the back wall, she set out her towel and bottle of water for ease of access. There was an overwhelming urge to touch up her makeup, but she pushed it to the back of her mind. Today she had only applied a light layer of foundation and concealer. And it was a good thing too, if Joza’s playful warning was any indication of what was to come. After all, she certainly did not want to leave class looking like a hot mess.

“Bring it on!” She called over with a light laugh as she moved over next to Joza. Stretching was a regular part of her day, it was essential for maintaining flexibility and preventing unnecessary injuries. Marzena mirrored the stretch that Joza was demonstrating, and she closed her eyes as she felt the tension easing out of her shoulder. After releasing her arm, she rolled her head gently from side to side for a few moments before moving on to stretch the other side. Slowly bending at the waist, she relaxed into a forward fold, her hands pressed flat against the floor.

“So, how has business been so far?” She asked, turning her head just slightly, so that she could see Joza out of the corner of her eyes.

Spoiler

LuLuLime... LOVE IT

 

[Joza Perl]

Had Marzena been force sensitive, she surely would have felt the shift in Joza’s presence from nervous and content to nervous and gleeful at being allowed to called a celebrity by their first name. Luckily, the Zeltron wasn’t an absolute spaz and had enough control over herself to smooth over her anxiety over having such a high profile student. And Marzena seemed absolutely pleasant—nothing like how some of the tabloids made her out to be. Of course, there usually wasn’t much truth to those stories and some of them were downright fabricated. That, and there was much more good press for the actress than bad.

“Why thank you. It’s small, but effective.” Joza had tried her best to make the studio as welcoming and cozy as possible by hanging pictures of famous dancers and pretty, ornate patterned fabrics along the walls. Watching Marzena for a few moments to ensure that she was stretching properly, Joza returned to loosening her own body while they chatted. It was evident that the celebrity was used to such actions with the way her body rolled into the motions, which reminded Joza that Marzena was a dancer as well.

“It’s been steady. Keeps me busy and the girls have a good time, so there’s nothing much to complain about.” Sinking to the floor, she extended on leg in front of her and reached out to touch it with the tips of her fingers. “How have you been, Marzena?” She was a bit tentative while speaking, but figured that it must get tiring to be in the limelight all of the time.

[member="Marzena Choi"]

 

[Marzena Vaas]

As Joza lowered herself to the floor to continue stretching, Marzena did the same. She held both legs straight out in front of her for a moment or two, and then crossed her legs, bending again at the waist. The corner of her eye twitched ever so slightly, she was a bit tight through the hip flexors. However, after a few breaths in and out, she leaned forward just a touch more to deepen the stretch –she wouldn’t over step the limits of her body though; Marzena certainly did not want to hurt herself before the lesson even started. She came out of the stretch slowly and sat up straight, her arms crossing behind her back to help open up her chest.

“I’ve been doing well,” She said with a smile, turning slightly to watch Joza. “But for the past few months I have been taking a break from the stage. It’s been a nice breather, but I’m ready to get back to it... that’s where you come in. I’m afraid that I’ve let my fitness routine fall to the wayside lately.”

It was a little embarrassing to admit that aloud, but she felt comfortable around Joza. Of course, it was information that the press would love, but she doubted that her instructor would take advantage of her. A soft sigh escaped her lips as she blew out a deep breath, it did feel rather nice to stretch.

“I’ve seen workouts that meld classical ballet with aerobics, it looks like fun.” She said, “That’s why I was so interested in your class. It seems like a good routine for me to pick up.”

[member="Joza Perl"]

 

[Joza Perl]

Joza hummed softly as she counted in her head, holding the stretch before switching to the other leg. As Marzena spoke, her own anxiety began to melt away with the loosening of her muscles. She found it hard to be nervous and tense while dancing.

Though she wasn’t a galactic celebrity, the Zeltron could identify with her. Kind of. At the very least, she knew how dangerous falling into a rut could be. It’s easy to take a break for a few days, but then a week becomes weeks, and weeks turn into months. At least that’s how it worked for her, having let her duties as a Jedi slip through her fingers while she went off to party. Marzena was likely taking a well-deserved rest from her hectic life, or so she imagined. “I’m glad that you chose me to get back into the swing of things. I hope the class can live up to my performance on stage.” A soft chuckle escaped her lips as she leaned back, stretching her shoulders before rolling to her feet with a peppy spring.

“Alright then, first I’m going to show you a few basic moves before we get into it. They’re pretty standard and not unique to Shaabi, so I imagine that you’d already know them. Take your time, and let me know if you’re having trouble or of something hurts.”

Extending her right hip outwards, she waited for a moment before bringing it in smoothly and then doing the same with the other. “Hip slides are a fundamental part of the dance.” After about a minute of that, she began to sway her hips in a figure eight pattern. Her movements were slow and methodical, waiting for Marzena to follow for a bit before transitioning into anything else.

[member="Marzena Choi"]

 

[Marzena Vaas]

As their time for stretching came to a close, Marzena found her way up to her feet. She rolled her shoulders a couple of times and stepped up next to Joza. Dark eyes turned to watch her instructor’s movements. Marzena was no stranger to shaking her hips, and though these hip slides were slower and far more fluid than she was used to, it looked simple enough. Looking forward into the mirror, she could see Joza’s figure undulating slowly, and then turned to see her own reflection flow into motion.

For a moment she placed her hands on her hips, sometimes it helped her get a feel for the motions. She extended her right hip first, and then moved it back. Her hips were still loosening up, so her movements were a bit tight at first. But as she continued to move, her body began to ease into the hip slides. Marzena watched herself in the mirror for a moment, making sure that her own figure eight movements matched Joza’s.

“Ok, I think I’ve got the hang of it.” She said, turning with a smile towards her instructor, but she would wait for Joza’s approval before asking to move on. “Where did Shaabi originate?” She asked, hoping that Joza didn’t mind a bit of idle conversation as they danced.

[member="Joza Perl"]

 

[Joza Perl]

Joza watched Marzena with a trained eye, noting how the actress easily fell into the hips slides. Likely a familiar movement for her, seeing as how Shaabi dancers weren’t the only ones swinging her hips.

“Indeed you do.” She affirmed, giving her student a smile of approval. “Next, chest slides. Similar concept, but a bit different in their execution.” Giving an example, Joza simply slid her chest from the left to the right. “The movement comes from the ribs. A lot of people tend to do this…” Instead of working with her upper body, the Zeltron moved her shoulders from left to right. “It’s not as smooth. When you slide your ribcage back and forth, you produce and more, fluid, subtle movement. You can tell you’re doing it right if breathing becomes a bit difficult.” She chuckled at her own indication, before quickly adding in: “But never painful. Again, let me know if you’re uncomfortable. As with any type of dance, the more you practice, the more used to the little nuances you get.”

Continuing with the chest slides before moving into slow chest circles, Joza would ponder Marzena’s question before answering honestly. “Tantooine, originally. Because it’s so hot there, the dance revolves around slower, flowing movements. I didn’t have the chance to visit the planet until after I’d learned the dance. But when I was a performer on Zeltros, we had a few girls who were from Tantooine who taught us Shaabi. Inevitably, as Zeltrons are wont to do, we put out own spin on it and spiced it up.” She chuckled, punctuating her words with a wide hip slide, drawing it back in quickly and sending undulations from her hips to her stomach.

“So it’s can be sexy and energetic, or classier with sexual, mischievous undertones. It’s a very versatile dance, and there’s a lot you can do with it. It’s only starting to rise in popularity though, but it’s gaining speed pretty quickly. Part of the reason why I set up shop off of Zeltros, makes finding clientele easier.” She grinned at the thought, knowing that she’d have way more competition in the pleasure planet.

[member="Marzena Choi"]

 

[Marzena Vaas]

Marzena paused to take a sip of water as Joza went on to demonstrate the next set of movements. Her instructor’s skill made it look easy, but Marzena knew better. She had done a little bit of work with torso isolations, but it had never been her strong suit, it was difficult to get that part of her body to move so independently from the rest. But still, understanding the concept did make her feel better. Marzena attempted to slide her chest from side to side, but found that her movements were coming from the shoulders, not the ribs.
It would take some practice. She kept her gaze focused on her reflection in the mirror, as she worked to move her upper body from left to right. As she continued to practice, she did notice that it became more difficult to draw in a deep breath.

“I can see what you were saying about ... the breathing.” She said, her voice sounding as though it was on the edge of being breathless. But she was still able to breathe, she just had to concentrate on making each inhale and exhale a bit smaller than she would have normally liked.

The lesson moved seamlessly from chest slides into slow, circular movements. By now, Marzena was beginning to grasp the flow, and was finding it easier to emulate Joza’s subtle grace. She listened intently as Joza explained that the dance had originally come from the desert planet. A smile found her face as she; she certainly did like a versatile dance... especially one that could be a bit mischievous.

“Ah, I see.” She said smiling, “I think Shaabi will be very popular, just wait until it hits places like Cloud City.” Marzena could already imagine a studio there on Bespin. But, she was glad to be one of the first to learn, for it was always nice to be a front-runner when it came to trends.

[member="Joza Perl"]